


show a little faith (there's magic in the night)

by WishingTree



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Gen, Soulmark AU, and featuring!, i cannot even BEGIN to quantify how many emotions i have about these characters and this au, that's important to know, the Mikaelson Family Crest Blanket™, there is much bonding between the four girls! bc i adore them all!, truly cannot, which deserves its own tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2020-11-27 20:43:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20954621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishingTree/pseuds/WishingTree
Summary: This is how it starts: a school-wide blackout, a tribrid sitting on the ground, and a witch who can’t see in the dark. Then comes a trip, a near fall, and somehow within that, a coveted connection is overlooked.Thus begins a misguided soulmate search for Hope and Josie, a quest to find what has been right in front of them the whole time, and really, this is how it all starts.But it’s not how it ends.Soulmate AU





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jacinto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacinto/gifts).

> A great big giant thank you to Nic for whom without NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE EVER HAPPENED! A ROUND OF APPLAUSE PLEASE!  
\- You have my eternal gratitude buddy I mean that seriously and sincerely and you deserve a parade! And an entire MONUMENT in your honor and to also have praises sung from rooftops! So many praises! From so many rooftops! (Alas you will have to settle for this, but I hope you enjoy the story!!)
> 
> Title from 'Thunder Road' by Bruce Springsteen;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s late March at the beginning, so Josie’s just turned sixteen (non-canon compliant so no mombie disaster, and no Malivore drama yet, but yes birthday!). This is relevant bc soulmarks appear the first time soulmates make physical contact after they’re both sixteen years old

It starts in the dark, with Josie carefully making her way up the steps of the school and pushing through the doors in the middle of the night. Her dad has decided to be dramatic and cut the power to the building for the sake of an evacuation drill, and everyone is supposed to be gathering outside in the back garden, but Josie is on her way to find the spare flashlights so those without the ability to see in the dark don’t have to go stumbling around blindly. 

Trailing her fingers lightly over the wall, Josie makes her way through the darkened hallways of the school. She’s more than familiar with this place, able to navigate it even now in the middle of a blackout, and she’s grateful for all her years spent exploring. She also has the advantage of the magic she can always feel running through the school, letting it guide her in the general direction of the east wing storage closets. 

Idly swinging herself into a stairwell, Josie heads upstairs, tapping reflexively at the worn crest her mom had accidentally broken back when her and Lizzie were eight years old as she reaches the next floor. It’s home, and she loves this place, even when she’s wandering through it alone in the dark. 

There’s a faint sound off in the distance, an echoing sort of creak that is easily explained by the fact that the building is big and empty and _old_, but it’s still enough to send a note of unease shooting through her and start to taint the darkness around her. 

It’s home, and it’s also the slightest bit creepy right now.

Picking up the pace, Josie tries not to let herself get too freaked by the occasional unexplained noises that reach her ears. It’s difficult, and she accidentally misses her turn because she’s trying to keep a lookout for anything dangerous. When she realizes she’s gone too far, Josie backtracks a couple of steps so she can go down the hallway she’s just passed, her eyes rapidly scanning her surroundings as she hurries to reach the storage closets at the end. She’s ready to grab some flashlights and head back outside with everyone else where she can laugh at her own needless apprehension. 

There’s a split second where Josie thinks she sees a shifting bit of movement in the dark, and then she’s letting out a surprised yelp and falling, her foot catching on something that she definitely hadn’t expected to be in the way. 

The world spins out of control for one disorienting moment, and then there’s another person there, jerking forward with movements so quick they can only be driven by instinct. They manage to grab on to her, and it’s all over before she hits the ground. 

“Are you okay?” a breathless voice asks, the voice belonging to the person who has just caught her, and Josie gasps as she clutches at them. 

It appears that she’s just tripped over Hope Mikaelson’s outstretched leg, and oh, maybe _that’s_ how it all starts. 

“Hope?” she squeaks in recognition, already struggling into a sitting position as adrenaline rushes through her, and Hope makes some noise of affirmation. Her hands holding Josie are steady and sure, and Josie settles into the contact as her short burst of adrenaline fades, immediately feeling herself start to calm. 

There’s some kind of comforting wave blanketing her, probably because she isn’t alone and doesn’t have to be scared now, and the darkness isn’t nearly as oppressive anymore. One of Hope’s hands is under Josie’s shoulders and the other is wrapped around her arm, and Josie blinks what can only be stars out of her eyes as they guide her into an upright position. 

“Are you okay?” Hope asks again, words quiet but urgent, and Josie can hear the worry leaking into them. She can also feel her heart racing, and Hope’s hands stay where they are, bracketing her carefully as she holds her up. 

Josie finally looks up and opens her mouth to respond, but forgets her words when she sees that Hope’s eyes are glowing gold. They shine in the dark, glimmering something powerful, and she finds herself mesmerized. She isn’t afraid, but the sight startles a shiver out of her and Josie can’t stop the surprised expression flashing across her face. 

It seems to take Hope a second to realize it, but then she winces and blinks, hurriedly squeezing her eyes shut. When she opens them again, they’ve gone back to their normal color, harder for Josie to see in the dark, and Josie wonders if they’ve always been this… pretty. 

“Sorry,” Hope mutters guiltily, giving a little shake of her head and snapping Josie out of it, “Yeah, sorry, I – sorry. It’s just me, are – are you okay?”

She seems almost awkward in the way she’s holding herself, shifting minutely, and Josie squints in her direction even though they’re sitting right in front of each other. Her legs are still draped over Hope’s, and Hope seems to realize this at the same time she does, hurriedly dropping her hands from where they’re partially wrapped around her. The action reminds Josie that she is essentially still sitting on Hope right now, and that she should definitely get off. 

“Sorry!” she squeaks, trying to move away. She rearranges her limbs into a more comfortable position, rubbing at her stinging elbow as she sits up properly and shuffles backwards, and she tries to smile more reassuringly. “Oh, and I’m – I’m fine, don’t worry about it. Are _you_ okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Hope moves her head as if she’s looking her over, and then she lets out a sigh and leans back into the dark. Josie can feel her beginning to relax, the tenseness that was practically radiating from her starting to recede, and she’s glad when she hears her take a deep breath. 

“No, I’m okay, I’m sorry. I – I didn’t realize I was in your way.” Hope says it sheepishly, running a hand through her hair as she shifts against the wall. “I forgot that – I mean, of course you can’t see in the dark like me, it’s – ” She rolls her eyes and lets her head fall back with a quiet thunk, trailing off with a small sigh, and Josie tilts her head and squints again in an attempt to see her better. 

It’s calm here, darkness shrouding their surroundings and muting the usual sounds of life in the school, and it’s like they’re alone in the world. It’s kind of weird, and she is somehow very aware of Hope right now. It’s probably due to the whole shock of inadvertently tripping over her when she’d been expecting a deserted hallway, and Josie shrugs it off. 

“I came to, um – I volunteered to get some flashlights and stuff for my dad,” Josie fumbles, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the storage closets, “But, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be headed out like everybody else?” 

Hope smiles wryly, tilting her head to the side. “I know how to handle myself in an emergency, I don’t need practice,” she says, and Josie huffs in amusement because it’s the truth. “They can get me out of my room, but I’m not lining up outside.” 

Josie finds herself laughing again at the thought of Hope actually evacuating in the case of an emergency, and Hope almost seems to relax even further at the sound. 

She’s watching as Josie rearranges her legs so they’re folded in a more graceful position, and Josie is sure that Hope expects her to get up and leave now, the requisite smalltalk complete. Something inside of her is pulling for her to stay, and though Josie can’t identify exactly what it is, she goes with it anyways, casually sliding over and making herself comfortable against the wall at Hope’s side.

She wriggles pointedly into her new spot, and Hope’s silhouette kind of freezes.

“Uh, what – what about you?” Hope stutters out, surprise clear in her voice, and Josie smiles.

“My dad already saw me, he’ll assume I got caught up with a group somewhere,” Josie waves dismissively, “And really, they’ll be fine without a couple spare flashlights, two–thirds of them can see in the dark and they’re not actually going anywhere.” 

“Oh, okay,” Hope murmurs dumbly, and Josie nods in satisfaction.

They lapse into silence, and it doesn’t take long before Josie becomes painfully aware of their proximity. They’re sitting next to each other, backs pressed against the wall, and though their shoulders aren’t quite touching, she knows that with just the slightest bit of shifting they could be. It’s not uncomfortable, far from it, but it’s also the slightest bit awkward, both of them uncertain about how to act in each other’s company.

Just as Josie works up the courage to open her mouth again, there’s a little zap of light shooting down the hall, like a current running along an invisible wire. Josie recognizes it as the spell she had learned as a child with Lizzie, a method their Aunt Bonnie had helped them with to convey short distance messages, and she sticks out her hand so the message can find her easier. 

_HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME ALONE OUT HERE? I GOT RELEGATED TO WATCHING THE PRIMARY KIDS_

The glowing letters form in the air in front of her, shimmering bright and dancing in place, and a second message quickly follows the first.

_WHERE DID YOU GO?_

Hope raises an amused eyebrow, slowly stretching one leg out in front of her and drawing the other one up so she can rest her chin on her raised knee, and somehow she knows exactly who the messages are from, dryly commenting, “So your dad saw you, but what about your sister?” 

Josie chews on her lip to hide her smile as she stares at the words hanging in the air. They’re giving off enough light that she can kind of see now, and Hope’s eyes are shining as they reflect the messages, almost sparkling in the dark. Josie tries not to let the sight distract her too much. 

“Lizzie was busy with MG, I figured she wouldn’t want to come,” Josie says, and then one more comes zipping towards them, knocking the other letters out of the way.

_ALSO IF YOU DON’T ANSWER ME THE NEXT MESSAGE IS GOING TO BE A HOWLER AND THEN I’M DEFINITELY GOING TO FIND YOU_

Josie huffs lightly as she reads it, rolling her eyes, but she knows that Lizzie is serious and reaches out above her head to pat at the wall. She flattens her palm against it and holds it there for a moment before furrowing her brow and moving it to the side, feeling around at the section next to her in an attempt to find a strong enough trace of magic to siphon from in her current seated position. 

“Here,” Hope holds out her hand when Josie scrunches up her face and makes to move again, “Just siphon from me.” 

Josie stops and blinks at her. “What?” 

“It’ll be easier, right?” Hope offers, tentative in a way she’s entirely unfamiliar with, and Josie turns to her as she thinks it over for a second before shrugging one shoulder and smiling.

“Okay,” Josie says, and then she’s taking Hope’s hand, fingers curling delicately over her own. Hope takes a second to react, but then she’s grasping back as well, gently gripping her hand. 

It takes her a second longer than it usually would, but Josie draws at her power, careful as always to not cause any pain. It’s different than when she siphons from other people, and as Hope’s magic _floods_ her veins, that tug brings forward the thought of soulmates.

The first time you touch your soulmate after you’re both older than sixteen, a mark appears at the place or places of contact, inking in the touch. Josie knows what they look like, has seen them on others, but aside from some general research and vague stories from her family, that’s the extent of her experience with the whole concept. Soulmates are rare, and the connection they form is supposed to be one of the most amazing things in this supernatural world full of magic and marvels.

Once again, she wonders if any of that is true.

And then she wonders why she’s thinking about it now.

Either way, both their hands remain unmarked beneath the red glow, and Josie readies herself to push this whole ridiculous line of thought out of her head. She’s known Hope forever, and they’re not even proper _friends_. It must be the rushing of power within her right now, swirling and building and carrying the sensation that is uniquely Hope with it. Josie doesn’t know if it’s a tribrid thing or a Hope thing, and she supposes she’ll never find out, but that’s okay. 

She’s about to let it go, but then, with an annoying little spark of hope that she can never quite seem to properly extinguish, she remembers that this isn’t actually where they’d first made contact with each other tonight, their first time seeing each other since her sixteenth birthday last weekend.

The memory of Hope catching her and preventing what was sure to be a very painful faceplant resurfaces, and she subtly glances to the side and does her best to examine Hope’s hands again. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she slides her gaze to her own arms, exposed due to the short sleeves of the sleep shirt she’s wearing. There’s nothing there either, but Hope must notice her looking because she sits up and shrugs out of her cardigan, unclasping their hands and passing it to her without a second thought. 

Josie accepts it automatically, a beat passing before she realizes that Hope must think she’s cold, and she’s touched by the action, grinning when she realizes that she actually is a bit chilly sitting here. Giving her a grateful smile, she swings the cardigan around her shoulders, concentrating to get her arms through the sleeves before sighing in satisfaction.

The cardigan is cozy and possibly one of the softest things Josie has ever worn, and it must be slightly oversized on Hope because it fits her perfectly, sleeves falling just the right amount past her wrists. She can feel Hope eyeing her uncertainly, and she picks up Hope’s hand again so she can siphon some more magic before resettling her back against the wall, hoping to put her at ease again.

Hope is holding herself stiffly, but when Josie waves the fingers of her free hand a couple of times to finish conjuring up her message for Lizzie and sends it off with a practiced twist of her wrist, Hope seems to let out a breath. Her tense muscles relax as she sinks into the wall, maybe slightly closer to Josie than before, and Josie feels her cheeks warm for no discernible reason.

“Are you okay?” Josie ventures carefully, unsure if Hope will appreciate her voicing her concern, and Hope blinks in surprise again, quickly scanning the dark hall around them before returning her gaze to Josie. 

“Sure. Is something wrong?” 

“Um, I figured we could…” Josie fumbles, face flushing before she forges onward, “I know you’re you and all, but usually people have a reason for hiding in deserted hallways in the middle of the night.” 

“Ah,” Hope nods. She doesn’t say anything for a bit, clearly considering something, and Josie waits patiently until she shifts again.

“Just…” Hope hesitates, clearly trying to figure out how much she wants to share. In the end she shrugs, ducking her head a little bit and using her free hand to pick at the hem of her shirt. “Feeling a bit off, is all. Wasn’t up to… being around people.” 

Josie makes an understanding noise, and Hope clears her throat, adding, “Which, I mean, not unusual for me.”

Josie huffs and nudges her in response, but she’s inordinately pleased to hear the playful note in her voice. The darkness blanketing them provides a peculiar sense of closeness, and Josie gets the sense that Hope would never have admitted that to anybody else.

It’s comfortable, and the longer they stay there, the more the atmosphere between them seems to ease. At some point, Josie lets her head fall to the side so it’s not quite resting on Hope’s shoulder, but it’s close enough that they’re both aware of it. Josie wonders again why this feels so easy now when it’s been so impossibly difficult in the past. 

It’s… nice.

Either way, they stay there and talk about nothing and anything until Hope hears the tromping sounds of students reentering the school and stirs, telling Josie it’s time they head back to their rooms. 

Josie makes a little humming noise in acknowledgement, hoping she doesn’t sound as disappointed as she feels, but then she smiles at Hope and squeezes her hand before letting it fall in favour of pushing herself to her feet.

She stretches out, hiding her fingers in the sleeves of Hope’s cardigan before letting her hands fall back to her sides and grinning in Hope’s direction. “So, we missed the entire point of the evacuation drill, but I’d say it was a pretty good time.” 

Hope laughs. “Best night I’ve had in a while, actually.” 

Smiling, Josie nods, inwardly thrilled to hear it, and there’s silence until Josie hears Hope shuffle her feet.

“But, hey, do you maybe – ”

The lights flicker on, making them both wince at the sudden brightness filling the hall, and Josie scrunches up her face as they try to adjust after so long in the dark. She seems to recover faster than Hope, looking up first, and she’s almost enchanted by the sight she sees.

Hope is standing there in a worn Salvatore t–shirt as she complains under her breath and rubs her eyes, a pair of comfy–looking pyjama pants tucked comically into her usual boots, and overall it’s a very endearing picture. Her hair is falling in soft waves, maybe holding the slightest bit more curl than it usually would, and Josie has to blink a few more times to snap herself out of it. “Sorry, what were you saying?” 

Hope, nose still wrinkled as she blinks blearily, quickly passes a hand over her eyes one more time before sending Josie a half–smile that is much closer to her trademark than the soft look from before.

“Just, you should try not to trip over anything next time,” she voices lightly, expression teasing, and Josie wonders if she’s imagining the sense that tells her that wasn’t what she had meant to say. 

“Maybe don’t go sitting with your legs out where anybody can walk into them next time,” Josie shoots back with a giggle, and Hope responds with a soft laugh of her own. It’s still quiet, but now the barest hum of the power is present again, altering the world around them ever so slightly. As she focuses, Josie thinks she might be feeling something else at the same time, something new and captivating and _alive_, but it flits out of reach as she tries to hone in on it.

“Let me walk you back to your room?” Hope blurts out, a look that’s mostly shock on her face giving away that she hadn’t meant to say it, and Josie agrees instantly, finding that strangely charming and immediately abandoning whatever it was that had attracted her attention. They don’t say anything as they go, leaving their secluded little hallway and soon joining the rest of the school in returning to the dorms, and that’s how it starts.

That’s how it starts, but it’s not how it ends. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for those of you who think they’ve spotted something Hope and Josie seem to have missed, well, that’s because they’re dumbasses!! Dumb doofy dumbasses who are going to fall in LOVE and that’s the Most Important part (and there’s nothing like a ridiculously chaotic soulmate search to set a backdrop for it!)
> 
> Now, without further ado! Let’s get this show on the road!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm just casually going to be writing Hope Mikaelson as completely touch starved from here on out thank you for your time

Hope is in the middle of hiding a yawn when she sees Josie in the hall the next morning. The other girl is wide awake and chattering happily with MG, and Hope finds herself stilling at the sight, unconsciously stepping out of the way to stand by the wall. 

Something is coming over her, something completely foreign and insistent in the way it’s nudging at her consciousness, and it’s making her want to go over to Josie right now just to be there. That’s… a little strange for her. 

A part of her wants to retreat back to her magically noise–muffled room and hide, while another part is telling her to roll with it, to go see if being near Josie now will be just as nice as it was last night. A third, much smaller part that sounds the slightest bit like Dr. Saltzman is telling her to just ignore it all and go to class, but that part doesn’t seem to be winning.

Hovering uncertainly, Hope is fully set on just putting that confusion aside and continuing on her way without any interaction and seeing where that takes her, but then it’s out of her hands because Josie is turning her head in her direction. 

Their eyes meet and time slows, and Josie is grinning. It’s extraordinary, the way that contact eases any discomfort Hope has tugging at the edge of her mind, and while Hope knows that she probably has a surprised expression on her face, she feels herself brightening instinctively anyways. 

That’s when she remembers that she should probably show some sign of acknowledgment, because it’s been a moment and Josie is still watching her curiously. She’s unsure, but Hope lets her lips curl up into a tentative smile and gives a little wave, an action that has her flushing lightly for reasons she doesn’t have the capacity to identify right now. She feels a small tug in her chest when Josie beams wider in response, giving her another smile and waving back.

Thankfully, before she has to figure out what she’s supposed to do next, the warning bell rings and Josie turns and walks away, presumably on her way to her first class like everybody else around them. The rush of sound and activity startles Hope, because it appears that she had momentarily forgotten their existence. 

Hope is feeling strangely buoyant, and she ignores the weird looks some of the other students are shooting her in favour of moving away from the wall, taking a second to remember where her class is. She almost walks into a doorjamb in her distraction, sidestepping it at the last moment only to collide with Penelope instead, and she has to shake her head a couple times to get her bearings.

“Going somewhere?” 

“Sorry about that, I was just – uh, I was…” Hope gestures uselessly down the hallway in the direction Josie had gone without knowing why, and Penelope snickers as she brushes off her blazer.

“Ah,” she smirks knowingly, “Something got you preoccupied then? Just because, not sure if you know this, it’s usually much faster to go around people.” 

“Shut up,” Hope grumbles, hiking the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder. “Just – there’s nothing, shut up.”

Penelope doesn’t do anything but laugh again, and Hope would usually go on the defensive, except she knows when Penelope is being malicious, and this isn’t it. It’s more on the side of… good–natured teasing? Again, very strange.

“I wanted to say thanks, by the way,” Penelope adds when she’s done laughing, shooting her a grin that’s startlingly sincere, “For the recipe to the anti–nausea brew when I was sick last week.” 

Surprised at the gratitude but trying not to let it show, Hope blinks. “Yeah, of course,” she nods, pushing some hair out of her face. “I’m glad it helped.” 

Penelope nods back, and they both stand there until Penelope huffs and nudges Hope in the arm with a motion that’s more familiar than Hope is used to. 

“Anyways, I’ve got gym,” Penelope says, pointing at the hallway behind Hope. “You headed that way?” 

“Nah, I’ve got chem,” Hope nods towards the science labs, and the devious glint makes its reappearance in Penelope’s eyes. 

“Are you going to be able to manage that properly?” 

Hope scoffs and makes a face at her, but she doesn’t try and hide the amusement she’s feeling. “I am sorry, again, for bumping into you.” 

Penelope waves her off as she steps around her and starts heading down the hall. “Better get to class. Don’t blow anyone up while you’re there!”

Hope sputters at the implication, but then the bell goes off and Penelope shoots her another grin. She snaps her fingers, disappearing in an instant with a spell that she’s definitely not supposed to be using, and that leaves Hope to scramble to class before she gets in trouble.

It isn’t until later that Hope has a class with Josie, and Hope is steadfastly refusing to do the thing where she stares at the door. She is _Hope Mikaelson_, and she does not wait and _stare_ at _doors_ just because she might possibly be excited to see someone, no matter who they are. 

She’s absolutely not staring at the door, and as a result she almost misses it when Josie enters the room. Her enhanced hearing is what tips her off, picking up on Josie’s heartbeat and giving her just enough notice to look up from her idle sketching and see Josie skipping past her usual spot to walk up to her instead.

“Is this seat taken?” Josie asks, gesturing at the empty chair next to Hope, and Hope’s eyebrows rise. Somehow having not expected that, Hope finds herself giving Josie the same look as last night, a mix of surprised and eager that she is sure makes her look like a moron, but then she quickly tries to cover it up by using her foot to push the chair out for her.

They sit quietly as the lecture starts, Hope pretending she doesn’t notice Josie sneaking glances at her every once in a while, but really, the longer they sit here, the more comfortable Hope gets. When the teacher assigns group work, Josie gives Hope a hopeful look and then beams when the corner of Hope’s mouth twitches up as she inclines her head, taking the opportunity to scoot her chair closer. 

Maybe this whole friendship thing with Josie is actually going to be easier – maybe it’s finally going to _happen_. 

The thought fills Hope with a strange combination of surprise and apprehension, as well as something that she thinks strongly resembles joy, but she doesn’t have time to examine it right now because they’re supposed to be filling out a worksheet, the papers already flying towards them as the teacher notes which students have properly paired off.

Watching as Josie reaches up to pluck theirs out of the air, Hope leans back in her chair and balances it on two legs, mentally applauding herself for keeping her cool for the entire class, and she doesn’t even flinch when Josie touches her arm to get her attention. 

Of course, she doesn’t flinch, but she does lose track of her movements and overbalance the chair, almost tipping herself backwards. 

That’s embarrassing. 

But Josie is muffling laughter behind one hand while using the other to grip Hope’s sleeve as if to help keep her steady, and Hope can’t really find it in herself to care.

That night, sitting cross–legged on her bed with homework spread around her, Josie absentmindedly sticks her hand out to summon a book from the shelf across the room, reaching her other hand above her head with the intention of siphoning some magic from the wall to power the spell. 

However, before she can make contact, she feels the familiar surge of magic and then there’s a book flying across the room right into her face. Yelping, she flails to grab for it with both hands but manages to miss spectacularly, wincing at the sting of the hardcover connecting with her forehead. 

“Ow!” 

Holding one hand to her forehead, she sits there in shock and stares at the book lying innocently in her lap. She’s almost completely sure she hadn’t touched the wall, so how had she siphoned any magic?

Taking a deep breath, she checks to make sure that she isn’t in contact with any potential sources of magic, taking off Hope’s necklace and setting it on her nightstand as an afterthought, and then she whispers the spell again and watches in awe as the book floats up in front of her face to hover steadily in the air. 

She hesitates, and then swipes her hand a little bit, eyes widening when the book immediately follows the movement. A few more experimental gestures confirms it, and Josie unfolds her legs and sits forward, an excited smile taking over her face.

Delighted, she guides the book to fly around the room, whizzing it through the air in looping patterns, but that’s all brought to an abrupt halt when the door opens and Lizzie steps directly into its path. 

Josie gasps and clenches her hand into a fist, yanking her arm back, and thankfully the book stutters to a halt and drops to the ground before it can hit her.

“…Sorry!” she exclaims, smiling sheepishly as she exhales through her teeth, “Sorry, sorry.” 

“Geez,” Lizzie lowers her arms and lets her expression of alarm fade. “Way to thank me for grabbing you a brownie from the kitchen on the way here,” she says dryly as she pushes the door shut behind her and bends down to pick up the now–immobile book. Idly scanning the cover as she stands again, she makes an uninterested sound and lifts her head. “So why are you trying to kill me with this incredibly dull piece of literature?” 

Beaming, Josie bounces to her feet and goes to reach for the book Lizzie is holding out. She’s already opening her mouth to share her excitement with her sister, but then the implications of it hit her and she falters. 

What’s happened? Why can she do this? It’s magic, but what is she even siphoning _from_? Could it be… dangerous?

This isn’t normal, and in their lives that always brings risk. Now that she’s thinking about it, there are too many unpredictable possibilities, and she feels her elation fade. It might be better if she doesn’t tell Lizzie right away, at least not until she has some answers. 

So instead of voicing any of this, she plasters a wide smile on her face and tells her she’d gotten carried away practicing a spell, and Lizzie only shrugs.

“Alright. Then, moving on. You’re talking to Hope now, huh?” she remarks, wiggling the book in her direction and prompting her to take it back. 

At Josie’s startled look, Lizzie rolls her eyes and goes to drop her bag next to her desk. “I saw you two in class, hello.” 

“Oh, right. Yeah we, uh… we talked,” Josie says as she hugs the book to her chest and stays where she is, feeling strange about telling Lizzie this for reasons she doesn’t understand. 

Kicking off her shoes, Lizzie looks her over appraisingly before going to fall backwards onto her bed. “Well, whatever it is – ” 

“Be nice,” Josie chides, knowing an insult is coming and not wanting the cold war between her sister and Hope to be reignited, and Lizzie props herself up on her elbows to give her an unimpressed look before rolling her eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. Anyways,” she waves a hand at her to get her moving again and then points at her bag, “Brownie? I lied when I said I only got you one, I actually took like, seven.” She’s completely unrepentant as she says it, and the knot in Josie’s chest loosens as she laughs and goes to get one before Lizzie can. 

The week passes much the same – homework and life and classes, Josie sneaking away to test her newfound access to magic, and… now, Hope. 

It’s still weird, this tentative familiarity in which they’ve found themselves, but it’s also great, because it means she can hang out with her whenever she wants. For example, she can hang out with her right now. 

Hope gives her a smile when she sees her, hiking her bag up higher on her shoulder, and Josie can already feel the tension in her shoulders easing in anticipation of her company, considering asking Hope if she wants to come eat lunch outside today.

She looks a little tired, something about her eyes more drawn than usual, but she also seems genuinely pleased to see her, which Josie still hasn’t grown accustomed to. She knows Hope usually chooses to spend her lunch hour avoiding people, but what could it hurt if Josie invited her to join them?

“Hey, do you – ” Josie begins, but then there’s a shout from down the hall and Lizzie is barrelling towards them, grabbing Josie’s wrist and preparing to drag her away as she chatters about an open wickery game that’s going to be starting soon.

Josie is already giving Hope an apologetic look when Lizzie stops in her tracks. “Oh, right,” she says, glancing between the two of them before turning to Hope. “Did you… want to come too?” 

Hope is clearly taken aback at the offer, exchanging a wide–eyed look with Josie before furrowing her brow at Lizzie, and though Josie knows Lizzie means it, she doesn’t blame Hope for doubting the sincerity of the invitation.

“In or out, Mikaelson?” Lizzie huffs when she takes too long to respond, and Hope opens her mouth but doesn’t say anything yet, shuffling her feet in a show of nerves that Josie finds wholly endearing.

“Hey,” Josie reaches out to grab her hand without thinking about it, smiling reassuringly and swiping her thumb over her knuckles. “The games are always fun, if you wanted to come check it out? You can leave right away if you don’t like it,” she coaxes, nudging her ankle with the toe of her shoe.

Hope eyes her uncertainly before glancing once more at Lizzie and then nodding. “Alright. I… guess I’m in then.” 

That sets a pattern, and Hope is integrated into her everyday life with absolutely no effort. In fact, Josie might even go so far as to say that this is the way it was meant to be, maybe since the time when they were both little and running around this estate that became a school. Something has fallen into place with it, settling perfectly into a spot Josie hadn’t noticed was empty, and Josie doesn’t know how to describe it, but it’s happening easily, clicking into place so seamlessly that she’s starting to suspect that the part that was so difficult was them _not_ being friends.

She’s absolutely not complaining about it anymore.

Josie drags Hope out to the garden after dinner, latching on to her before she can disappear into her room for the night and pulling her right out the door. Hope goes along with it, ever willing with wherever it is Josie is taking her, but she is getting concerned.

“Hey – ” Hope starts, trying to work out if anything is wrong, but Josie cuts her off with a twisting hand gesture that Hope doesn’t know how to interpret.

“Josie?” 

“I’ve – there’s something going on that I haven’t told anyone, not even Lizzie – especially not Lizzie, and I really just want it to not be an issue, you know? But it’s kind of… well, it’s potentially huge, and I’m – worried it’ll change everything.” 

Hope is completely confused, and she hopes it isn’t showing on her face. “Um – ” 

“I also… don’t know why I’m telling you this?” Josie runs a distracted hand through her hair. “It’s just, sorry, you seem – I’ll totally stop if you want me to? Oh god, do you – ” 

Hope shakes her head and catches her flailing arm. “No, it’s fine, don’t worry. How can I help?” 

“I… need advice, but I really can’t explain the situation much,” Josie says apologetically, “But something’s changed, and I’m a little worried? It could be nothing, but it could also be like, super bad.” 

“Break it down, one step at a time,” Hope offers, letting go of her wrist and trying to be supportive when Josie pauses to take a breath, “Are you more worried about whatever it is that’s going on? Or about Lizzie’s reaction to it?” 

She tilts her head as Josie thinks it over, feeling the weight of the unusual exhaustion that’s been weighing down on her for the last couple of days, but she forces herself to ignore it so she can pay proper attention. Josie is still wavering, clearly at a loss and getting more distressed, and Hope wants the opposite to happen.

“Okay, um, what about…” she hesitantly reaches out to take Josie’s arm again, her other hand hovering over the small of her back and guiding her towards the nearby cluster of large rocks, decorative but flat enough to be used as makeshift benches. “Why don’t we… sit for a little bit? While you think about it?” 

Josie obliges, dropping down in the middle with a sigh, and when Hope sits down next to her she hangs her head before leaning her back against the raised bit of rock behind her. She’s noticeably distracted, wrapped up in her thoughts, and Hope doesn’t know what to do, wanting to help but unsure how. Josie must have been looking for something from her when she grabbed her, but Hope doesn’t know how to initiate any sort of proper comforting, and she doesn’t want to say something wrong.

Josie is right next to her, fidgeting but clearly trying to keep herself still, and they sit in silence until Hope gathers up her courage and gently knocks her knee against Josie’s. It’s completely inconsequential, an insignificant motion, but somehow it feels meaningful enough to take her breath away.

Josie looks up at the contact, blinking wide eyes, and Hope inhales before clearing her throat. “Hey, if you’ve gotten yourself into something over your head, let me know and I can help, okay?” 

Josie nods along obligingly, the corner of her mouth turning up but still looking distracted, and Hope furrows her brow.

“I mean it, Josie,” Hope repeats, leaning forwards to catch her eye, and something passes over Josie’s face. 

“…Thank you,” she whispers, holding the eye contact before she twists her hands together and looks down at her lap. “It means a lot.”

They stay angled towards each other, neither of them moving away, and Hope is very aware of the space between them. A squirrel runs across the grass, pausing and twitching its tail before resuming its dash towards the trees, and Hope follows it with her eyes reflexively until it scampers out of sight. Josie exhales, and Hope waits.

“Can we stay here for a little while?” Josie finally speaks up, face twisted shyly and words uncertain. Hope nods easily, more than willing to stay out here all night if that’s what she wants, and Josie visibly relaxes. 

In the distance, the lights of the school are starting to switch on, their legs are still touching, and together they stay out there among the flowers and trees until the sun sets and the stars begin to shine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More setup, but next chapter things start _happening_ aw yeah


	3. Chapter 3

When Josie gets to class the next day, Hope is already at her desk with her books laid out in front of her. That in itself isn’t unusual, but Josie furrows her brow when she sees the way she’s slumped over, eyes half closed with her chin resting in her hand and looking completely zonked. She doesn’t even seem to realize that Penelope is shooting magically propelled paper stars at her from the seat behind hers, framing them with both hands and methodically taking aim, and Josie huffs an exasperated laugh at the sight.

Another paper star hits Hope in the back of her head and gets caught in her hair, and Josie gives Penelope a pointed look as she approaches. Penelope sends her a wink, expression completely unapologetic as she grins, and then she surprises Josie once more by making a quick gesture at Hope. Josie raises a questioning eyebrow at that, confused by the little motion indicating Hope’s position folded over the desk, but she nods anyway, knowing Penelope well enough to understand that she’s telling Josie to check on her.

Going over to Hope, she sets her backpack down on the desk next to her and then pulls out the chair, surprised when the other girl shows no sign of noticing her arrival.

“Hey, Hope,” she says softly, leaning forward and prodding her gently, “You okay?”

The reaction is slow, but then Hope is blinking and furrowing her brow, taking a few seconds to stir. She shifts a little bit before turning to look at her, half stretching out and then seemingly changing her mind midway, and Josie smiles. 

“Oh, hey Jo,” Hope slurs, “Yeah, I’m just – really tired.” Her words are broken by a yawn, and she brings up a hand to rub at her eyes. It’s unusual to see her so out of it, but it’s also a little difficult for Josie to concentrate on the potential implications when the primary thought on her mind is how adorable Hope is right now.

Reaching out, Josie carefully picks Penelope’s paper star from Hope’s hair before she lays her hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly and suppressing her smile when Hope leans into the touch. “Are you sure?”

“Hmm,” Hope’s answering nod is clumsy, and Josie has to remember where she is to stop herself from fawning.

She hears Penelope snort behind her and twists in her chair to make a face, which Penelope wiggles her eyebrows at. Josie rolls her eyes, and Penelope sends another paper star flying directly for her in response, which Josie just barely manages to duck. 

Placing her hand flat on the desk, Josie feels the barest thrums of magic running through it before she remembers her new connection to magic and draws off of it, sending the same star back at Penelope and nailing her right in the middle of her forehead. 

She beams in triumph as Penelope reels back dramatically, an exaggerated look of offence on her face, and then her expression softens as she drops the act. She widens her eyes in Hope’s direction before giving her a questioning look, and Josie blinks when she realizes that Penelope is concerned and doesn’t have any other way to show it. 

Josie gives her another nod, hoping to reassure her, and it seems to work because Penelope nods back before turning her attention to her textbook.

Hope misses all of this, busy yawning and burying her head in her arms, and Josie is grateful that at least this is the last class of the day so she can go back to her room afterwards and take a nap before dinner. 

With Josie occasionally nudging her, Hope manages to stay awake for the whole class, but only just. It’s an achievement, and when the bell rings and all the students hastily stow their things and rush out the door, Hope stays in her seat and blinks at her open notebook. There are a few halfhearted scribbles and messy words scrawled on the page, and Josie makes a note to share her own later. 

“Come on,” she coaxes, packing away her books and standing as Hope clumsily gathers her things, “Let’s get you to your room, huh?” 

Hope mumbles something before answering with another yawn, and Josie helps her pack her bag before steering her out the door and through the halls. Their pace is slow, but Josie doesn’t mind in the slightest.

When they find themselves in front of Hope’s door, Josie has to nudge Hope twice before she realizes that she has to be the one to open it. She belatedly does so with an uncoordinated wave of her hand, the click of the door unlocking sounding before it swings open for them, and Josie bites back her smile. 

Hope’s room is exactly as Josie would have expected it to be had she given it any thought, and somehow that surprises her. Aside from the standard bed and desk and dresser, Hope has a corner full of art supplies, an easel set up with a blank canvas on it and paints scattered all around. By the window seat there’s a low shelf stuffed full of all sorts of books, some of them definitely grimoires. It’s not messy, but there are a couple pieces of clothing spread around here and there, and she’s reminded of Hope’s cardigan that she leant her on the night of the blackout, the one she still hasn’t returned. It's folded neatly and lying over the chair in her room, and Josie figures she should probably get around to bringing it back. 

She gestures for Hope to step inside first, her lips twitching at the confused way Hope wrinkles her nose and tilts her head before understanding blooms across her face, and she nods encouragingly.

Sighing, Hope drops her bag onto the floor and promptly stumbles over it in the same motion, and Josie instinctively lunges forward, catching on to her elbow as if she’ll be able to keep her from falling. 

“Okay, nap time for you,” she says, laying her other hand on her arm and tugging her forward as she kicks the door shut behind them.

Hope’s eyes are more closed than open as she hums an acknowledgement, and Josie puts a hand on her back to guide her towards the bed, depositing her carefully. Hope immediately tips over and curls up right there in the middle of the mattress, not bothering with her jacket or shoes, and Josie hides another smile as she sets her own bag on the floor.

It’s easy to unlace her boots and slip them off, and Josie is delighted when she sees that Hope’s socks don’t match, one foot striped purple and blue while the other is red and dotted with sunflowers. She lines up the boots at the foot of the bed, unsure where Hope would leave them, and then she turns back to examine her friend.

She’s on top of the covers, steady breathing indicating that she’s already sound asleep, and Josie doesn’t have the heart to wake her for something as trivial as wrinkled clothes. Giving the corner of the covers an experimental tug, Josie deems it too difficult a task to try and wrestle them out from under Hope’s sleeping body and spins on her heel to find something else to cover her with instead.

Glancing around, she figures some kind of sweater will have to do, but then she spots a folded blanket sitting by an ornate wooden box on Hope’s desk and brightens, stepping around the bed to reach for it. 

As soon as her hand make contact, Josie stills, furrowing her brow and curling her fingers into the material. There’s magic here, strong magic, and she can feel _something_, some kind of impression lingering within it. She picks the blanket up carefully, trying to pin the feeling down, but it’s unlike anything she’s ever felt. Whatever it is, it’s powerful, emanating as if from some distant memory made tangible, except she doesn’t think it’s her memory.

Dumbstruck, Josie realizes that whatever it is is taking her breath away.

She stares at the blanket in her hands before glancing up at her sleeping friend, letting that feeling wash over her. Again, it’s coming to her as if from another world, but some instinct deep inside her is responding to it. Some instinct in her _recognizes_ it.

This blanket is important to Hope, maybe more important than anything else in here, and Josie has no idea why. 

Blinking and looking down at the material gathered in her arms again, Josie smoothes her hand over it one last time before going over to the bed and carefully laying it over Hope’s sleeping body. She rearranges it properly, making sure her feet are covered as she tugs it into place, and she notes with some surprise that there’s the Mikaelson family _M_ displayed proudly on it, visible now that the blanket isn’t folded up. 

Adjusting the blanket one last time, Josie takes care to tuck her in before stepping back and looking her over, unintentionally letting her gaze linger on Hope’s face for a long moment as she takes her in. She looks small, young and serene and not at all like the deadly badass Josie knows her to be, and when she shifts in her sleep, Josie reaches out one more time to tuck her loose hair away from her face without thinking. 

She also looks really beautiful, but Josie figures that much is obvious. This is _Hope_, after all.

Shaking her head ruefully, she takes another step away and turns to pick up her bag, shouldering it and hoping there isn’t anything serious keeping Hope from getting enough sleep. Josie looks at the door and wonders if she should leave quietly to return to her own room, but then the thought of facing Lizzie while keeping such a big secret makes her stomach twist painfully.

Maybe she could stay here instead, just for a little while longer. It wouldn’t hurt to keep Hope company either.

Hope shifts on the bed again, this time snuggling her face into the blanket before settling, and Josie smiles. It definitely wouldn’t hurt. 

Making her decision, Josie deposits her bag on the floor again, deliberating for a moment before she settles herself down and leans against the side of Hope’s bed. She cranes her head one last time to check that she’s okay, and once she’s satisfied she turns her attention to her schoolbag, sorting through it to pull out the right notebook. 

The afternoon sun is slanting through the half–closed curtains as she gets to work, delicately shining into the room, and time passes in a way that’s almost muted, her proximity to Hope providing some measure of contentment that she isn’t familiar with. She also deduces that Hope must have spelled her room to lessen the amount of external noise that can be heard from within it, because there’s barely any sound reaching Josie’s ears, even with the after–school rush she knows is happening out in the halls. What she does hear is much less disruptive and abrasive, softened somehow in a way that’s to do with more than just the low volume of it, and she figures that Hope must need it with her enhanced hearing.

It’s peaceful, and when she gets bored of her Latin homework, Josie drops her pencil onto her notebook and unceremoniously pushes it all away, stretching out her cramped fingers and rifling through her bag again for another subject. Hope is still breathing steadily on the bed behind her, and Josie takes comfort in her presence.

Not in the mood for more studying, Josie considers how she’s itching to do some magic, making the split second decision to pick her advanced spellwork material and pull out the corresponding textbook.

Flipping through it until she finds a spell she’s never done before, Josie sets the book in her lap and skims the page. The sun isn’t quite setting yet, but the room has started to get a little dimmer and that provides her with the perfect opportunity to try this one.

Inhaling through her nose, Josie sets her shoulders and holds up her hands to form a ball, concentrating on not siphoning externally as she recites the spell as precisely as she can. It takes a moment, but then satisfaction spreads through her when the result shines in front of her. 

Cupped in her hands is a pulsing bubble of light, soft and golden–orange, and Josie is pleased as she takes it in, lifting the light towards the ceiling. It floats up cheerily, rising into the air, and Josie dusts off her hands and gets to making some more, spreading each of them to hover around Hope’s room and illuminate the space. They bob through the air, occasionally knocking into a wall and changing course, and the shifting light sources bring an ethereal quality with them.

She turns her head up to watch them go in quiet wonderment, amazed at the simple way they _shine_, and her awed gaze is once more drawn to Hope when she’s in her line of sight. She’s sleeping soundly, firmly ensconced in the blanket, and the effect of the orange glow around her is reminding Josie of sunlight underwater. The light dances across Hope’s hair, long and loose where it’s spilling across the bed, and Josie is suddenly struck with the desire to know if it feels as soft as it looks. 

Turning away in confusion, Josie settles back against the bed and props her textbook up on her knees, toying with the bottom of the page just to have something to do with her hands. It’s an unexpected thought, but she brushes it away in favor of contemplating what it is about this situation that’s making her feel so _comfortable_.

Hope is still asleep and therefore of no help right now, but that’s alright; Josie isn’t going anywhere, and maybe after her nap they can figure it out together.

Hope wakes up slowly, cracking her eyes open and returning to consciousness piece by piece as if sifting through still waters. Through the window she can see that the sun is beginning to set, casting low rays of light across the school grounds, and it’s starting to get dark inside her room, shadows extending past the windowsill.

She’s wrapped up in her family blanket, warm and secure, and she instinctively burrows her face into it, drawing comfort from the familiar smell and feel. Her Aunt Freya had enchanted it for her years ago, and sometimes, just sometimes, she can still find a trace of her lost family with her enhanced senses, the last traces of them she’ll ever have. 

She mumbles the incantation that activates the heating element of the blanket, warming it up with magic and snuggling in further.

“You’re awake!” Josie’s hushed voice exclaims in delight, and Hope blinks her eyes open to see Josie sitting up from where she had been stretched out on the carpet. She pushes aside the homework spread in front of her and shifts onto her knees, shuffling over so she can cross her arms on the edge of the bed. 

“Hi,” she whispers, resting her chin on her folded forearms as she gives Hope a happy little smile, “Are you feeling better?” 

Hope isn’t sure what kind of reaction she gives, her mind still too dopey and sleep–jumbled to be sure, but whatever it is manages to make Josie’s smile brighten, and that’s enough for her. 

She isn’t sure why Josie is in her room, and she also doesn’t know why it feels so completely comfortable to be with her here. She hasn’t had anybody in her room in years, and she would expect for another person’s presence to be mildly intrusive, at the very least, not… whatever Josie currently is.

Josie chooses that moment to reach out and brush back a lock of Hope’s hair, the motion so completely natural that Hope only smiles sleepily and leans her head into the touch as her previous line of thought vanishes. She can’t remember the last time she’s felt this relaxed and content, even if that weird exhaustion still seems to be weighing on her. 

She stays where she is, possibly dozing off again before she finds herself blinking her eyes open once more, and Josie is still there smiling prettily at her.

She’s so entranced with Josie that it takes her an embarrassing couple of seconds to realize that something is amiss, Josie’s face illuminated in a way that isn’t normal for the way the light is coming through the window. The information takes a second to filter, fluttering away in Hope’s mind, and then she registers that she can definitely find the answer if she just looks around.

Too comfortable to move very far, Hope cranes her neck and peers upwards, trying to use a blanket–covered fist to rub at her face. There are multiple balls of light floating around her room, scattered fairly evenly, and she smiles as she watches them pulse and drift leisurely through the air. She recognizes the spell and knows that it isn’t going to be covered in their class for at least a couple of months, but Josie seems to have figured it out on her own.

“Not bad, huh?” Josie murmurs, half hesitant and half pleased, and Hope turns back to her, rolling her body to face her more comfortably. 

“No,” she murmurs, voice still gravelly from sleep, “Not bad at all.” 

Josie stays there and beams at her, tilting her chin up proudly, and Hope smiles back, affection and what must be pride towards Josie filling her chest. It swells and spreads through her entire body, and Hope sighs contently, wriggling a little to shift herself closer to Josie.

“So how are you feeling?” Josie asks again, words so casual and caring that Hope almost feels the need to ask for a clarification, and Hope attributes this warm and fuzzy sensation to what was evidently a much–needed nap.

“Better,” Hope says with a lopsided smile that’s probably a tad dreamier than she’d usually allow. “Thanks.” 

A ball of light that has been drifting a little lower than the others bumps into the side of Josie’s head, making her startle with a little twist, and Hope watches as her expression clears into something fond. She lifts a hand to nudge it back into the air, watching it go, and she looks back at Hope with an awed sort of amazement, clearly enraptured.

“They’re beautiful,” Josie breathes happily. The light is soft and warm, shining gentle on Josie’s face, and Hope hides her smile by burrowing her face into her blanket once more, letting that added sense of comfort wash over her as well. 

“Yeah,” she agrees with a hushed whisper, watching Josie and reluctant to break whatever spell has fallen over the room, “Beautiful.”

Josie seems content to just sit there and watch the lights, so Hope does her best to unfurl her blanket from around herself as she wriggles to the edge of the bed, draping one end around Josie’s shoulders as best as she can in her drowsy state. The gesture seems to surprise Josie, but Hope doesn’t let herself think about it as she burrows her way into her blanket again, curling up. Josie is much closer to her now, Hope’s head resting on the bed inches from Josie’s shoulder, and Hope hums in contentment.

Her eyes are fluttering shut once more, exhaustion catching up with her, and though she doesn’t particularly want to, she can feel herself drifting off again. She thinks she hears Josie whisper something right before she falls asleep, and that combined with the glow of the lights is the last thing she’s aware of before sleep claims her once more.

When Josie gets back to her room that night, she’s met with Lizzie sitting on her bed, already wearing her pyjamas and messing around with something that probably used to be an intact sheaf of papers. She straightens when Josie comes in, planting both hands on the bed in front of her and immediately launching into a tirade about the most recent bout of inattention from their father.

Josie gets ready for bed as Lizzie chatters, listening and nodding along where appropriate, and Lizzie’s idea actually isn’t half bad this time.

“And – oh hey, you’ve got something on your…” Lizzie trails off, eyes suddenly wide as she gapes at her, and Josie turns around to look behind her, not understanding what’s captured her attention.

“What, what is it?”

“…Josie,” she gasps, using both hands to sweep all her papers to the side, “What is _that_?” 

“What? I don’t – Lizzie, what are you talking about?” 

“Jo – _Josie_. Josie!” Lizzie exclaims, voice getting louder, and then she’s jumping off the bed and grabbing her shoulders. “Is that…?” 

Josie scrunches up her face in confusion, and Lizzie shakes her excitedly. 

“That’s a soulmark! Josie! You met your _soulmate_ and you didn’t _tell_ me?!” 

There’s a long moment of silence, and then Josie blinks. “I – I’m sorry… _what_?” Josie gapes at her, completely dumbstruck, and Lizzie gestures at her foot insistently.

Josie blinks again, and then she looks down.

“…Oh my god,” Josie whispers, face going slack as she stares at the mark on her foot in astonishment, “Oh… my god?” 

She’s met her soulmate. She’s _met_ her _soulmate_? 

Lizzie doesn’t seem to notice her shock, too busy rambling about soulmate connections in a way that’s far quicker than what Josie’s able to process right now, and she can’t move until one of the questions breaks through her shock.

“But more importantly, who is it?” Lizzie finally pauses to take a breath, and Josie freezes. 

Who is it. Who is it?

…Who _is it_? 

Lizzie sees the look on her face and her expectant smile gives way to a stunned sort of disbelief. “You mean… you don’t _know_?” she sounds aghast when she says it, but she also looks torn between laughing and screaming. “You met your soulmate and you don’t even know who it _is_?” 

“It’s – how am I supposed to see the mark through my shoes?” she protests, holding her hands out and gesturing at her foot. “Besides, that means I had to, what, kick them?” She furrows her brow. “I guess I could have knocked into them in the hallway or something like that. Or maybe the caf?” 

Josie keeps staring at the mark on her foot, unable to help herself, and Lizzie continues theorizing. 

“Well, we know it’s someone at school, right? We haven’t left the grounds since like, last month, and this has to be more recent than that.” 

Josie’s mind whirls, trying to slot all the pieces into place, and then she gasps. “The magic, I’m – it must be because of this!” 

People had been doing research on soulmarks and soulmates since what seems like the very beginning, and it was common knowledge that along with the matching marks, a bond was forged between soulmates. Nobody could quite describe what the bond entailed, but that could explain why she doesn’t need to be in physical contact to siphon.

Josie feels her anxiety receding as things start to make sense in her mind, and then she remembers one important detail – her sister doesn’t know yet.

“Magic?” Lizzie questions curiously, “What does magic have to do with this? Other than, like, whatever ancient old timey magic soulmate marks are, of course. But we’re not messing with that right now.” 

“I’ve – since last week or something, I’ve been able to do magic without touching anything,” Josie starts, hoping that the straightforward approach will be easiest.

“What?” Lizzie gasps, eyebrows scrunching up in confusion, “You can – you can do magic without siphoning it first?”

“No, no, that’s the thing! It still feels like I’m siphoning, I just can’t figure out from where. But it must be because of this, right? The soulmate bond, it’s supposed to connect people, and maybe this is how it works with siphon witches!” Josie gets more animated as she speaks, her new hypothesis unfolding. “It’s not like there are very many of us to _ask_.” 

Lizzie nods along, brow creased in thought, and Josie is cautious when she ventures, “You’re not… upset?”

“Please, if _you_ can find your soulmate this easily, then _I_ will have absolutely no problem when my turn comes.” 

She flips her hair, ever theatrical, but the smile she gives Josie is genuine and the heavy weight on Josie’s chest finally lifts. 

They’re going to be okay. 

She bounds forward to throw her arms around Lizzie’s neck and pull her into a hug, holding her tightly and pressing her relieved laugh into her shoulder, and Lizzie hugs her back. It settles her, and Josie is beaming when she finally pulls away.

“So what does it feel like? When – wait, never mind, that’s…” Lizzie waves a hand, “You didn’t even realize when it happened, so I guess it wasn’t that noticeable. If anything actually did change.” 

Josie tries to think back, sorting through recent events as quickly as she can, and she wracks her memories for anything that could possibly be construed as soulmate–worthy. She comes up blank, her mind only giving her nonsense and wandering to her afternoon spent in Hope’s room, for some reason.

“I mean…” she murmurs hesitantly, “I’m not sure. I’ve mostly just been testing the magic.” 

Lizzie stops and thinks about it for a second. “You know that means that you might have, like, knocked out your soulmate by now, right? If you’ve been using this much magic and siphoning them the whole time.” 

It’s a point she hasn’t considered before, and Josie pales. “…Oh _no_.” 

She immediately pulls back and wraps her arms around herself as if that will actually do anything at this point, curling into herself. She knows how much magic she can take from a normal person without hurting them, knows how to do it and when to stop, and if she has indeed been siphoning from one person, they may very well be on the brink of death by now.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Lizzie reassures her, easily sensing her distress, “It’s okay, it has to be someone at school, right? And if anyone collapses of exhaustion we’ll definitely hear about it.” 

Josie takes in a shaky breath and nods, focusing on her words and on calming the anxiety in her chest. “So… what now? I don’t – I don’t even know who it is.” 

Her person, her _soulmate_, the one she’s supposedly destined to be with, is somewhere here at school with her, is someone she’s _met_, is someone… well, is someone _real_. They aren’t theoretical anymore. 

But how is she supposed to find them?

“Lucky for you, I’m amazing! Because I have an idea,” Lizzie declares, a devilish grin spreading across her face. The look in her eyes is the same one she gets whenever she’s hatching some kind of scheme, and Josie would be lying if she said she wasn’t the slightest bit nervous. 

“Lizzie – ” she tries, but her sister shushes her dramatically. 

“Here’s the plan,” she announces, putting her hands on her hips, “Are you ready for this?” 

Josie waits, unsure if she should be shrinking away, and it’s not long before Lizzie gets tired of waiting for whatever she’s deemed as an appropriate reaction and raises her chin imperiously.

“Josie Saltzman? We are going to find your soulmate!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with those words, let the games begin!
> 
> (By the way, and this is Very Important for me to add, you don’t understand the level of attachment I have to this blanket of Hope’s! It will be making a reappearance, and I could go on for days I am completely serious about that it is _unbelievable_)


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Hope leaves her room with a distracted smile on her face and a bounce in her step, feeling cheerful in a way that’s strangely foreign to her. She’d woken up before her alarm, well rested for the first time in at least a week, and her day is going surprisingly well. As she walks, her thoughts drift to Josie, something that’s becoming more and more commonplace recently, and she’s so engrossed with it that she almost misses the turn to leave the dorm halls.

There’s a piece of paper plastered to the stairwell door at eye level, and she stops in surprise when she realizes that these brightly coloured posters seem to be covering every available announcement board and free space in the corridor. Stepping up to the closest one, Hope cocks her head to the side and skims it over, ready to ignore the news of the school’s next social event, but then she stops and reads the words more carefully to make sure she’s understanding it properly. 

According to this, it seems that ‘**Josie Saltzman’s Great Soulmate Search**’ is being launched at the Salvatore School, and it’s a quest with a fairly self explanatory name. This production has Lizzie written all over it, but Hope is stunned. 

Josie’s met her _soulmate_. She’s met her soulmate, but somehow she doesn’t know who it is.

Hope feels something almost like disappointment at the news, but quickly dismisses that notion and furrows her brow. Why would she be disappointed about this?

Maybe it’s because Josie has met her soulmate and Hope knows there’s a good chance that it’s something she’ll never experience for herself, but this is a good thing – of course Hope wants for Josie to find her person and be happy.

Shaking her head a couple times, Hope sighs and turns away, continuing on her previous path to the cafeteria. Though she’s feeling decidedly less chipper, she puts it firmly out of her mind and tells herself to ignore the unpleasant emotions, falling back on her usual method of repression. It’s worked just fine for her before, and it can work now.

Her trek takes her past the common area, and that’s when the little feeling nudging at the edge of her mind makes itself known once more, getting her to stop and duck her head back through the open entryway. She scans the room, wondering what’s prompted this, and just as she’s about to leave she spots Josie sitting across the room, hands covering her face.

Well, that might be it.

In the middle of the room, Lizzie has her hands on her hips as she speaks animatedly to a small crowd of students, and Hope isn’t surprised. Some colorful streamers wave above her head, suspended and twisting in midair, and Hope wanders past them without stopping to think about it, her mood lifting once more and an amused grin playing over her face despite herself.

“Hey there,” she greets, “Having fun?” 

Josie starts at the sound of her voice, but when she sees Hope she lights up and waves. “Thank god you’re here,” she tells her, relief obvious in her tone. She reaches out to grip Hope’s forearm for a reason that’s indiscernible to Hope, and there’s a possibility that she flushes in response.

Josie squeezes her arm gratefully before sliding her hand down to her wrist and letting go, and Hope’s eyes track her movements. There’s a notebook lying discarded next to her on the couch, a pen on top of the open page, and Hope spots her own name written there among what must be a few dozen others under the bolded heading _Totally Absolutely Verified_ _✓_.

“So a soulmate search, huh? That’s an interesting tactic,” Hope starts, but her words are cut off when Lizzie appears and latches onto her elbow.

“You! You’re going to be in charge of acquisitions,” she announces, and then adds as an afterthought, “Also guard duty. You make good security with your whole invincible bit. Great!” 

This is all said in a rush before Lizzie disappears in a whirlwind of blond hair and plaid, and Hope blinks. 

“Uh, what just happened?” she asks, looking over at Josie.

“Looks like you got roped into helping Lizzie with her master plan,” Josie replies wryly, but her smile is apologetic as she puts her hand on Hope’s arm again. “You really don’t have to, I can tell her you’re too busy or whatever.” 

“I don’t think there’s any refusing your sister right now, Jo,” Hope laughs, not registering when the nickname slips out, “Besides, I don’t mind. It’ll be interesting, and I’m always happy to help.”

Josie scoffs, wordlessly raising an eyebrow at Hope as if to convey her disbelief, and Hope rolls her eyes, the corner of her mouth lifting at the incredulous look on her face. She’d thought it was obvious. “Okay, I’m happy to help _you_, at least,” she amends, and Josie lets out a laugh and squeezes her arm again, seemingly oblivious to Hope’s shock that she’d actually said those words. 

“Thanks, Hope,” she says sincerely. 

Josie’s fingers are playing over Hope’s sleeve, occasionally brushing softly against the skin of her wrist in a way that’s almost mindless, and Hope wonders why the touch feels charged, streaked through with a glittering sort of excitement. She has one leg tucked under herself on the couch, and Hope’s attention seems to be fixating on her, her enhanced senses coming into play. 

Although nothing in particularly has happened, a glowing feeling of contentment begins to spread through her, quiet and unyielding. It’s blanketing her with comfort and ease, and Hope basks in it until Lizzie’s voice cuts through the air.

“No way, Satan!”

Jumping, Hope and Josie turn their attention to the commotion happening across the room to find Lizzie bickering with an amused Penelope.

“Do you seriously think that there was even a single chance in _hell_ that I’d let you anywhere near this?” 

Penelope scoffs. “Oh, like _you_ could stop me? I’ll back off if Josie tells me to, but otherwise I’m going to help. You could use my stellar judgment here and you know it.” 

“I have questioned Josie’s standards more than once, given that she dated _you_,” Lizzie muses, “But then again, if we follow that line of thinking it seems like your standards might be acceptable, because _you_ dated _her_.” 

“Wow,” Penelope deadpans, pressing a hand to her chest, “I’m honoured.”

Lizzie rolls her eyes, and Hope watches them warily. 

“Here’s the thing, though,” Penelope continues, linking her fingers together and quirking her lips, “You want what’s best for Josie, which means finding the person who is best for Josie. _I_ am very good at figuring people out. Besides, you may have spies covering half the school, but who do you think has spies covering the rest of it?”

Penelope crosses her arms and grins easily up at Lizzie with her trademark look of knowing confidence, and Hope braces herself, hovering one hand over Josie’s shoulder as if to provide some kind of comfort in case the situation turns confrontational.

Fortunately, it doesn’t come to that, and Hope lets herself relax. 

“Okay, fine, you’re hired,” Lizzie grumbles after a long moment, fixing Penelope with a glare and then levelling a finger at her nose. “Don’t make me regret this.” 

Penelope smiles serenely and bats her eyelashes. “Now, would I really do that to you?” 

Lizzie scowls, and thankfully Hope is spared the potential of having to step in by the bell ringing. 

Everybody scatters, though Josie is slow in gathering her things, seeming slightly more preoccupied than usual. Given the circumstances, Hope thinks it’s completely understandable, and she’s patient as she waits for her, unconcerned about being late. 

On the other hand, Josie suddenly jolts up with her bag in her arms, seemingly remembering that the school day is just beginning for them. “Wait, we have to get to history!”

Hope tips back her head to let out a laugh, and Josie huffs playfully before shoving at her shoulder to turn her around. Hope moves obligingly, still smiling, and the same feeling of contentment settles inside of her, filling her chest.

Together they set off at a run to make it to class, and the feeling doesn’t go away.

“I have a question,” Josie states that afternoon as she sits on the stone steps of the school with her chin in her palm, squinting into the afternoon sunlight. Hope is ambling around in front of her, and Josie is trying not to be obvious in the way she’s watching her. “Why are we doing this again?” 

Hope shrugs, shifting from foot to foot as she effortlessly twirls a shovel around one hand at a speed that Josie finds slightly concerning. “I have… no idea.”

They’re out in the back garden, between the elevated sections of patio where they’re mostly hidden by tall shrubs and trees, and Josie’s wondering if maybe she should have been listening a little better to the midday announcement.

“It was – something about redoing the… flowerbeds?” Hope lets the shovel roll down her arm before angling it so it embeds itself into the ground with a solid thump, and then she shrugs both shoulders. Reaching up, she pulls her hair into a ponytail as she speaks, looking flawless in the afternoon sunlight, and Josie suddenly feels self–conscious about the messy bun she’d thrown her own hair into when it became evident they were going to have to do garden work. “There are definitely worse ways to pass the time.” 

Josie hums in acknowledgement, and Hope flashes her a quick smile. A light breeze blows past them, ruffling the leaves, and Josie catches the way Hope calms at the feel of it.

Hope’s company alone is actually plenty calming for Josie, who has been fending off curious questions about her soulmate search all day. It’s the biggest thing happening at the school right now, which is probably Lizzie’s intention, but it’s getting a little tiresome for Josie, who very much appreciates how her friend isn’t making a big deal about it.

Standing, she brushes off her skirt and saunters over to Hope, joining her where she’s looking over the plots scattered around the garden. 

“Where do you want to start?” she asks, swaying to the side to knock their shoulders together. Hope turns with a thoughtful expression on her face, something hovering between uncertain and eager, and Josie tilts her head.

Suddenly there comes a shout and a commotion from around the corner, and Hope snaps her head away and falls into a defensive position. Josie’s hand finds Hope’s without her realizing it as she whirls around, the motion completely driven by instinct, but then she realizes that it’s just a stampede of primary kids, a class that must have been let out for an early recess.

Letting her alarm fade away, Josie rolls her eyes at her own reaction good–naturedly. The sound of their happy laughter fills the air around them, light and carefree, and they rush past en masse, some waving as they go. Josie waves back with cheerful abandon, and she can feel Hope follow her example with a slightly more hesitant motion. Turning to flash her a smile, she lets out a laugh as she squeezes her hand, eyes crinkling happily.

Pedro runs by in the crowd, skidding to a halt and doubling back to give Josie a hug, and Josie drops Hope’s hand to return it. “Hello to you too!” 

“Hi!” He beams up at her with his arms still thrown around her waist, and she ruffles his hair before he lets go to join his friends. Still laughing, Josie raises her head to watch him go, and that’s when she catches Hope’s eye, the other girl staring at her with a soft smile on her face.

Their gazes lock, something Josie can’t describe passing between them as time stretches out, and Josie’s heart rate stutters abruptly before speeding up.

She assumes the warning signs are obvious, but she isn’t paying attention and misses the next bunch of kids that appears to weave around them. Hope sidesteps it all very neatly, but Josie stumbles in surprise as she tries to get out of the way.

Yelping, she trips over her own feet and falls into a plot of yarrow, sneezing in response to the small cloud that gets kicked up around her, and Hope is by her side instantly, helping her up with concerned hands. She tries to dust her off, but Josie giggles when she immediately wrinkles up her face and turns away to sneeze three times in quick succession. 

“Right,” Hope sighs when she’s done, rubbing her nose as Josie brushes herself off, “Are you okay?” 

Josie nods as she goes to step out from among the plants, but she’s clearly too focused on Hope and not enough on everything else because she immediately trips again, this time tipping towards a plot of sage and screwing up her face in preparation for hitting the dirt. 

However, unlike before, Hope is there before she can fall, an arm wrapped securely around her waist and the other supporting the back of her neck. Josie gasps, her hands flying to grip Hope’s shoulders, and Hope’s eyes are wide when they meet hers, shining so blue in the sunlight.

Their faces are close, and Josie might be momentarily dumbstruck.

“Caught me again,” Josie tries to quip, but her voice comes out more breathy than she means it to. Hope looks a little confused as she sets Josie on her feet, but she doesn’t let her go, and Josie blinks in surprise when her dad’s voice cuts through the air from behind her.

“Shouldn’t you girls be taking care of the landscaping with the rest of your class?” 

“Is that what we were supposed to be doing?” Hope calls back without taking her eyes off of Josie, and she smiles crookedly and leans forward as if they’re sharing a secret. “Sorry Dr. Saltzman, we’ll get right on it!” 

Josie raises an eyebrow at her, very aware of her touch but trying to be cool, and Hope makes a silly face back. She doesn’t move away, and as Josie stands in the incredibly safe circle of her arms, the only thing she can do is smile.

When Hope walks into her room, she falters in her motion to deposit her bag on the floor. Without a roommate, she’s used to finding everything exactly as she left it, and this time there is one very glaring difference that Hope doesn’t quite know what to make of.

“Um… hello?” 

Penelope is sitting at her desk, casually reading a book with her feet kicked up, and when all Hope feels is a strange sort of baffled bewilderment at the sight, lacking anything resembling animosity, she realizes that she and Penelope might actually be friends now. 

That’s weird. 

Shutting the door behind her, she walks the few steps to bring her to the center of the room quickly takes note of all the things that have changed since she left this morning. In addition to Penelope lounging in her chair, there’s a plate of cookies on her desk, some kind of mess at the foot of her bed, and, most notably, a fishbowl. 

“…What is that?” Hope asks hesitantly, deciding to start with the fishbowl. 

Penelope barely spares a glance up to see what she’s pointing at before her attention is back on the book, which Hope now recognizes is one from her own bookshelf. “New fish. His name’s Gilven.” 

“Okay, but… the fish is _glowing_, Penelope.” 

“Ah, yeah. The fish is also a star?” Penelope shrugs and turns a page. “It’s a long story.” 

Hope waits, but she doesn’t elaborate. 

“Right, so, it’s a… star fish?” she prods, darting her gaze between the aforementioned glowing star fish and Penelope. Penelope nods easily, as if this whole situation isn’t completely out of the ordinary, and Hope is starting to think that there may be something to that friendship theory.

“And you brought the star fish… here,” she continues dubiously, making a half sweeping gesture with her hand.

“Well _I_ can’t keep him,” Penelope scoffs dramatically, “He’s not mine!” 

Hope waits again, but she still doesn’t offer any explanation, and Hope isn’t even sure if she’s being this infuriatingly unhelpful on purpose. “Alright, and _why_ does that mean he’s here?” 

Penelope grins up at her, eyes glinting with a very specific sort of mischief, and Hope gives her an unimpressed look in hopes of convincing her to knock it off.

It doesn’t work. 

“Penelope – ” 

“Yes! So,” Penelope interrupts brightly, snapping the book shut and spinning around in the chair to pick up the plate on her desk. “Cookie? You’re not allergic to walnuts, are you?” 

“I – ” 

“That was a rhetorical question. I know you aren’t allergic to walnuts.” 

“What – ” 

“I also know you like fish, so that means Gilven is staying here.” 

“But – ” 

Penelope waits expectantly, still holding out the plate, and unsure of what else to do, Hope takes a cookie. 

“…How did you get into my room?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where did Gilven the star fish come from? I think it’s a reasonable question. Did Penelope find the fish? Rescue it, steal it, accidentally use magic to create it? _Un_-accidentally use magic to create it? The possibilities are endless!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The little gremlin who controls my brain has been doing a spectacular job of kicking my ass in recent months but hopefully this is a turning point! Tentative optimism y’all!!

When Lizzie barrels into her room with no warning other than a quick half–assed knock, Hope jerks up from her reclined position on the bed and lifts both hands defensively, her book falling off to the side.

“I need a favour,” she announces with no preamble, and Hope bites down hard on her tongue to stop the spell she has ready from leaving her lips, clenching her fists to reign in the magic gathering at the tips of her fingers. 

“…What?” she manages in a strangled tone of voice instead, and she wonders why these people suddenly seem to always be in her room. 

Lizzie fixes her with a look. “A favour. From you. It’s integral, got it? This whole soulmate thing means a lot to Josie, but she’s stressing way too much – I can feel it.” 

Hope blinks at the mention of Josie, slowly lowering her hands as Lizzie continues.

“You need to get her out of the school this weekend, take her mind off of things. Maybe then she’ll relax and I can work on it in _peace_.” 

It’s all delivered very dramatically, and Hope blinks again. 

“Um, what – where would we go?” Hope consciously stops herself from twisting her fingers together, and then fumbles to pick up her fallen book instead. “Like, is there, uh, something to do…?” 

Lizzie rolls her eyes and throws up her hands. “Does it look like I care where you take her? Just have some fun!”

Hope continues to stare blankly, and Lizzie heaves a long–suffering sigh. 

“I know you may not have much experience with that, but it happens when people do something entertaining? Enjoyable, amusing, fun! Something you _like_, something – ” she holds up her finger and thinks on it for a second, “I mean, something with, like, minimal violence, please and thank you. But yes.” Making some kind of flourishing gesture, Lizzie almost takes out Hope’s stack of books on the dresser. “It’ll distract her, and for some reason she seems to like your company, so! Get on that.” 

She points at Hope until Hope realizes that she’s probably waiting for some sign of acknowledgement, and so she nods. Satisfied, Lizzie then turns around and flounces out of the room, letting the door bang shut behind her, and Hope stays where she is.

Okay. Alright. Something fun. She can do that. She totally knows fun.

Except… she kind of doesn’t.

Glancing around her room, she hopes for a stroke of inspiration and also for this feeling of foolishness to go away. She doesn’t really do anything during the school year that isn’t homework and the recruiting trips with Dr. Saltzman, so she tries for happy memories with her family, but… it’s not the easiest task. 

Then her eyes land on Gilven, glowing happily as he swims around his new fish tank on Hope’s desk, and she tilts her head.

People like aquariums, right? Hope knows that she certainly does, and it’s only an hour’s drive to the nearest one from here. Josie is already a fan of animals, so chances are that would extend to aquatic ones. Maybe. Hopefully? Probably. 

Hope chews on her lip and stares. 

“What do you think buddy, is the aquarium a good idea? Would Josie like that?” 

Gilven pulses brighter for a second as if he’s agreeing, and Hope nods. She should probably stop talking to the fish.

When Josie is woken by Hope showing up at her door at some ridiculous hour on Saturday morning, she doesn’t really know what to do. 

“Hi?” she mumbles, blinking slowly, and Hope smiles nervously and presses a smoothie into her hand before grabbing her shoulders and spinning her around to guide her back inside the room.

“Get ready! We’re going out today.” 

Josie mumbles something that probably comes out unintelligible, but Hope isn’t deterred. 

“Just to the next city, nothing fancy. A normal day! Some… fun. You can sleep in the car.” 

She waits expectantly until Josie nods in response, and then she flashes her another bright smile and directs her to change before going to wait outside, gently pulling the door shut behind her. 

“…Okay?” 

Josie pivots and stares at her unmade bed, the blankets still lying rumpled where she’d pushed them off of herself to answer the door, and it’s surprisingly easy to shake the thought of climbing back into them from her mind. This is Hope, after all.

Taking an absentminded sip of the smoothie, Josie places it on her nightstand and then moves to pick an outfit, a quick glance as she shuffles across the room telling her that Lizzie is already gone, though she has no idea where. 

She gets ready as quickly as she can in her half–asleep state, trying not to keep Hope waiting too long as she ducks out of her room and darts off to the bathroom with her toothbrush before hurrying back, and when she has everything together she tries to blink herself into full wakefulness. It doesn’t really work, but she doesn’t want to take too much longer and turns to go, making sure to swipe up the smoothie before leaving the room.

Hope is leaning against the wall next to her door, idly tapping her fingers together, and she turns when she hears Josie come out. 

“Hi,” she whispers, an excited shine to her smile, and she spins on her heel to face her and takes one single step forward before stopping again.

“Good morning,” Josie yawns in response, and she covers her mouth until she can address her properly. “Where are we going?” 

“Come on,” Hope coaxes, and Josie follows along, stumbling over her own feet in a way that would be far more embarrassing if she were more awake. She doesn’t really register Hope hovering and hesitating at her side, but then she seems to make up her mind about something, taking her arm and supporting some of her weight. Josie isn’t quite sure if she leans into her at all, but either way, the gesture is much appreciated.

They make it to the front entrance of the school, Hope helping Josie down the steps with an intense look of concentration on her face, and some sleepy part of Josie wants to fawn. 

There’s a car waiting for them, and Hope opens the door and ushers her inside, making sure she’s seated comfortably and has her seatbelt on before hurrying around to her own side and sliding in next to her, and Josie reflexively sets her smoothie into the cup holder on her side, listening to Hope chat with the driver as they pull away. 

The car ride is smooth, and despite her best efforts, Josie definitely nods off in the middle of it. One minute they’re winding down the quiet streets of Mystic Falls, and the next thing she’s aware of is Hope shaking her awake, a gentle touch on her arm. Josie lifts her head from where it must have fallen against Hope’s shoulder and blinks at her, distantly noting how warm and comfortable she is right now, and how Hope’s eyes are sparkling.

“We’re here!” Hope tells her, now obviously excited in a way that Josie has very rarely seen, and it pulls her from her sleepiness. She hands her a cherry danish, taking the time to make sure Josie has a good grip on it through the napkin, and then she opens the door and slides out of her seat.

Josie climbs out of the car as well, feeling more alert and taking a bite of the danish, and she blinks in the sunlight as she looks around, absently licking the flakes off her lips.

“It’s the aquarium!” Hope exclaims gleefully, pointing at the building directly in front of them and then waving at the colourful marine life themed decorations adorning the entryway before she seems to catch herself and draws her arms back, shoulders scrunching up in a tentative motion.

“…What do you think?” she asks, giving her a hesitant smile, and Josie wants to hug her. 

“Are you kidding? This is amazing!” She rocks up on her toes eagerly, excitement chasing away all the residual traces of sleep from her mind, and the smile on Hope’s face expands again. Josie feels something inside of her lighten at the sight, some sort of pressure easing, and she takes Hope’s arm and starts pulling her towards the entrance. “Let’s go!” 

Hope buys them both tickets, stubbornly refusing to let Josie pay and also swiping the wallet out of Josie’s hand when she tries anyways, and Josie huffs lightly, not really annoyed but finishing her smoothie in a vain attempt to hide her smile. 

Now with tickets in hand, they make their way inside and over to the big map of the aquarium so Josie can examine it, taking note of the different exhibits and mentally planning out a potential route for them to explore. Hope stands next to her, but instead of looking at the map she’s shifting lightly on her feet and taking in everything around her.

“Where do you want to go first?” Josie asks, reaching out to brush her fingers along her forearm and get her attention. 

“I’ll follow your lead,” Hope says with more sincerity than the situation probably calls for, and her expression is so earnest that Josie’s breath hitches, her cheeks colouring as she returns her attention to the guide map.

Hope’s attention is on the whale decorations suspended overhead by the time she has a loose plan, and Josie grins as she grips her elbow and begins to tug her in the direction of the penguin habitat.

She’s amazed by all the sights around her, but her attention keeps sliding towards Hope next to her. It’s happened several times already, and Josie shuffles her feet self–consciously before brushing the thought away. This is their first time out alone after all, of course she’s interested in what Hope is like away from everybody else. 

Right now she’s standing there rambling on about jellyfish facts, the blue lighting of the water somehow playing off of her beautifully, and Josie wants to listen to everything she has to say. It’s calming, and she distantly notes that her stress from the last couple days is slowly disappearing.

“– yeah, and they even predate _dinosaurs_.”

“…You’re a nerd,” Josie marvels aloud as she watches her, fully realizing it for the first time. Hope Mikaelson is a _nerd_. 

Hope rolls her eyes and points insistently at one specific jellyfish that’s currently doing a slow spin, giving Josie a look as if that proves her point, and Josie has to smile.

“Don’t worry, there’s tons more for you to nerd out over,” she laughs, poking at her shoulder, but she lets Hope take all the time she wants in the jellyfish room. 

They move through the aquarium slowly, eventually entering the central room with the massive tank in the middle and the spiralling walkway that lets guests see the various levels of it. Along the way, they start a game of giving the most attention–catching marine creatures names, and Josie is having _fun_.

It’s really, really nice.

Entering the big underwater tunnel, Josie’s eyes light up at the same time as she hears Hope’s quiet gasp. Stingrays are scattered around, and Josie grabs onto Hope’s sleeve to get her attention, pointing at the one gliding leisurely across the top of the tunnel and giggling at the sight of its little face. 

“That’s Bumble.” 

“Bumble?” 

Josie grins and nods decisively. “Bumble Bartholomew the Third.” 

“Alright,” Hope laughs, tucking her hair behind her ear, “Sounds perfect.”

The stingray glides past again, almost directly above them before heading off, and Josie waves as it goes. 

She smiles big and wide when she sees Hope standing with her face practically pressed against the glass as she watches the turtles, face shining with an unguarded sort of wonder. Josie can hardly blame her.

“I always wanted a pet turtle when I was younger,” she mentions offhandedly, shifting her gaze away from Hope to follow the slow trek of the closest turtle.

“Yeah?” Hope says, leaning back and turning to look at her, and Josie nods.

“But my parents said a pet would be too much responsibility, and they were probably right. And there was always so much going on too, I wouldn’t have been able to stand it if it got hurt.” 

“I guess that makes sense,” Hope hums, fascinated by one of the turtles stretching out to reach for a piece of lettuce.

Josie smiles and bumps her shoulder gently against hers. “That one’s name is Annabeth,” she says, and Hope laughs.

Leaning her arms on the railing, Josie watches the manatees drift leisurely through the water and kicks a foot out in Hope’s direction to get her attention.

“If you had to be a sea creature, which one would you pick?” 

“Hm,” Hope considers it, “Maybe a dolphin? They’re badass.” She picks at the cuff of her sleeve and tilts her head. “Although I don’t know if I’d really like being a sea creature.” 

“I don’t think it’d be so bad,” Josie muses out loud, “All that freedom, with the whole ocean to explore.” 

Hope stays quiet, a thoughtful look on her face, and Josie recognizes it to mean that she’s sorting through her thoughts. She leaves her to it, completely willing to give her as much time as she wants, and they both continue watching the manatees. 

Eventually she pulls out the map of the aquarium and unfolds it to double check which section is next, and when Hope looks over she brings it closer, angling it so she can see properly. It feels so easy to be leaning towards her like this, so natural to be close to her, that Josie wonders why they don’t just stay like that forever.

“Hey, about being a sea creature?” Hope says it casually, but her voice is so quiet that Josie wouldn’t have been able to hear her if they hadn’t been so close together.

“Yeah?”

“I think… as long as I wasn’t alone,” Hope murmurs softly, not looking away from the map, “Then it’d be okay.” A hesitant look crosses over her face for a moment, and though it disappears almost immediately, Josie doesn’t really know what to make of it. 

“I think so too,” Josie agrees, wanting desperately to give Hope a hug but not sure if the gesture would be appreciated right now. Hope’s words feel like a loaded confession, and it’s one she’s going to tuck away and keep safe for the rest of her life.

She settles for gently laying her hand on Hope’s back, just light enough to feel, and hopefully it conveys the things she can’t even begin to articulate, a weird need to do _something_ welling up in her chest. 

Hope seems a little surprised, flitting her eyes shyly towards Josie’s, and then she smiles, tucking her hair behind her ear and lifting her head. Josie smiles too, drawing her hand back when Hope’s movement dislodges it, and then she nudges Hope with her elbow and shoots her a grin as she refolds the map to tuck it safely away in her pocket. “Come on, I want to check on something.” 

Returning to the central room with the large tank in the middle of it, Josie scans the room for the little bubble shaped hidey crawl spaces designed for children.

Casting a furtive glance in either direction, Josie grins, strolling over to an empty one in the corner and kneeling down. She wriggles her way in, only bumping her head once, and beams when she lifts her head to be greeted with the wide expanse of water around her. 

She turns expectantly, waiting a beat before moving to stick her head out, but then Hope is crouching down in the opening and peering around curiously.

“Jo?” 

“Come on,” she beckons, ignoring the sudden warmth in her chest and shifting as far in as possible to make room, “This is the coolest way to see, trust me.” 

Hope ducks her head and joins her, rearranging her limbs so she can sit properly, and when she lifts her head to glance around Josie takes it as her cue to do the same.

The water is all around them now, marine life surrounding everything, and looking up is a completely different type of view. The sounds of the other guests from outside the bubble are muted, and even their own voices have a different resonant quality to them. 

Hope shifts a little bit more, settling in, and then she tips her head back to watch the ocean life around them.

It’s beautiful. The same little inexplicable tingle comes over her again, the feeling creeping in and filling her with an all–encompassing sense of contentment, and Josie wonders what it is. She doesn’t remember having this sort of fond reaction the last time she’d visited the aquarium, but it must be the strange way her memory has of reacquainting her with this environment that is familiar but brand new. She smiles.

Sneaking a glance to the side to check on Hope, Josie is slightly surprised when she realizes that Hope is much closer than she’d initially thought, which makes sense because they do happen to be in a tiny enclosed space. Distracted, she almost forgets to look away when Hope glances at her. 

“It’s amazing,” Hope marvels, lifting a hand to brush her fingers against the glass. Josie hums quietly in agreement as she turns her head to follow the movement, and then she blinks until she can bring their reflections into focus. 

They’re sitting across from each other, but also close enough that it’s barely a turn to be face to face. Josie’s eyes skim over Hope’s partial side profile, watching as she tracks something swimming through the water, and she looks happy.

Josie smiles wider.

“Frederic,” Hope nods at a school of fish swimming past, and Josie is uncertain about what kind of fish they are and also which one she’s pointing at.

“You already used that on the octopus,” she reminds her as she focuses back on the scene around her, and Hope squints, pursing her lips. 

“…Frédérique.” 

Josie laughs. “Is that just the French version?”

“Maybe,” Hope grins, shifting again to get more comfortable and accidentally nudging her knee against Josie’s leg. “Maybe it’s a completely separate name that is perfectly suited for our new friend the yellowfin tuna leader.” 

Josie pretends to consider it before giggling quietly. “I’ll accept it.” 

Hope shoots her another grin, and silence settles around them. It’s safe and serene and so completely comfortable, and Josie’s smile doesn’t fade. 

They stay tucked in there together well past the point where Josie’s legs cramp, but eventually Hope’s borrowed phone buzzes with a message that their ride from school will be there soon. Josie rolls her head to the side when Hope tells her this, hoping she doesn’t look too disappointed, and Hope’s apologetic smile is soft when their eyes meet, once again much closer than Josie expected.

Something is pushing at the edge of her mind, some instinct that’s insistent on making itself known despite never having been there before, and Josie feels _something_ as they hold each others’ gaze, Hope tilting her head ever so slightly to the side. 

The air seems to still, time hanging motionless between them, but then Hope accidentally smacks her head against the top of the bubble and the moment breaks, the feeling being chased away. She flinches and immediately hits her elbow against the side too, and Josie gasps and leans forward.

Pressing into her worriedly, Josie exhales in relief when it only takes a second to register that Hope looks more insulted than injured, grumbling good–naturedly and rubbing at her head.

“I guess I should have seen that coming,” she sighs, and Josie pats her elbow affectionately. She tries to suppress her smile because she doesn’t want Hope to think she’s making fun of her, but one look at Hope’s scrunched up face sets her off and she erupts into giggles, Hope quickly joining her. 

Muffling their laughter, they exit the bubble as gracefully as they can, Hope crawling out first and then reaching her hand to help Josie up. They both wince as they stand, stretching out their stiff muscles and brushing off their clothes, and Josie sighs in satisfaction once they’re sorted again.

As they meander towards the exit, naturally being routed towards the gift shop, Josie is struck by the need to commemorate this day with a souvenir. She excitedly takes Hope’s arm to drag her over, scanning the shelves and displays with a sense of determination and then shushing Hope when she tries to interject.

“Nope, I’m – actually, you know what? Go wait over there,” Josie turns and points to the opposite side of the room. “And you’re not allowed to see what I’m doing.” 

“You want me to – I can’t see what you’re doing? You know this place isn’t really that big,” Hope huffs a laugh, and Josie grins but still shakes her head, making a shooing motion.

“Alright, alright,” Hope huffs another laugh, rolling her eyes but doing as she says, and Josie waits until she’s on the other side of the shop and occupied with browsing the display of puzzles before returning to her task at hand. 

She takes a couple minutes to make her final decision, but her mouth drops open when she goes to the checkout line and finds Hope already there paying for something. 

“What are you doing?” she asks, mildly curious but hastily trying to hide the stuffed animal in her hands. 

Hope turns around and Josie sees that she’s holding a plush sea turtle. “All you said was I wasn’t allowed to see what you were doing, and I didn’t! I made sure not to look at you,” she declares proudly, “But you didn’t say anything about looking around myself.” She smirks before the hesitant look flashes over her face again and she seems to steel herself. “Anyways, I… got this for you.” 

The inflection in her voice almost makes it sound like a question, but Josie’s eyes are wide as she registers that Hope is gifting her the turtle.

“For me?” 

Hope nods, biting her lip nervously, and Josie beams elatedly as she accepts it, almost forgetting about the surprise she’s still holding with her other hand. After checking to make sure that they aren’t blocking the way of other customers in line behind them, she sighs and brings the plush jellyfish out from behind her back. 

“This is going to be for you,” she grins, a little put out that Hope managed to beat her to the punch, but mostly filled with a near overwhelming combination of awe and joy. “I can’t believe you managed to steal my idea before I did it,” she laughs, looking up, and she sees Hope gaping at her. 

“I… For me?” 

Josie softens and nods, meeting her wide–eyed stare, “Yeah. For you.” 

“Well aren’t the two of you sweet,” the woman at the register chuckles, abruptly reminding Josie that they’re still standing in front of her, and she smiles sheepishly as she puts the jellyfish on the counter and pulls her wallet out. She sees Hope blink a couple of times before she seems to shake herself out of her it, an awestruck smile spreading across her face, and she tries not to let the rush of affection she feels be too obvious.

“Thanks,” she says as she pays, trying to sort out her emotions but mostly just coming up with a big giddy tangle, and she doesn’t quite understand the knowing look the woman gives her as she passes over the receipt. 

“You girls enjoy the rest of your day,” she tells them kindly, and Josie smiles back.

“Thanks, you too!” she says at the same time as Hope as they turn to leave, and the woman waves and turns her attention to the other customers that have suddenly appeared. 

Looking over at Hope again, Josie presents the jellyfish to her as dramatically as she can, and she’s pleased when it earns her a laugh.

“Thank you,” Hope says sincerely when she accepts it, and Josie watches as she carefully tucks it under her arm, absently patting it once in a motion that warms her heart. “I… I love it.” 

“Thank _you_,” Josie tells her, hugging her new turtle and laughing again, and Hope smiles at her as they fall into step with each other easily.

“Ready to head back?” Hope asks as they move towards the exit, and Josie realizes with a start that she hasn’t thought about the mess with her soulmate search since this morning. 

“Yeah, I guess so! And – thank you for this,” she says sincerely, adjusting her grip on her sea turtle and tucking it more securely against her, “This whole day, it’s exactly what I needed.” 

Hope makes a reassuring humming noise when Josie glances at her, blinking and then looking mildly embarrassed when she realizes. “I, uh… yeah, I – I’m glad you had fun.” 

She lifts a hand to shade her eyes as soon as they leave the cover of the aquarium, and Josie figures it must be the sudden change of lighting that makes it look like she’s blushing. The sun isn’t quite setting yet, but it’s hanging lower in the sky and casting a different sort of warmth over the world. Hope looks lovely, and for some reason Josie really wants to hold her hand. 

That’s different.

Instead, she lifts her newly acquired sea turtle and wiggles it in Hope’s direction. “_Righteous_,” she drawls out in her best impression of Crush from Finding Nemo, and Hope bites her lip, doing a horrible job of hiding her amusement. Josie grins as the school’s car pulls up to the curb behind her, and Hope leans forward to wave at the driver before opening Josie’s door for her with an exaggerated bow. 

“_Crushed it_, _jellyman_,” she responds in kind, eyes crinkling, and Josie bursts into laughter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie squints suspiciously at Josie’s new turtle for a solid three minutes when she gets back to their room, and then she narrows her eyes at Josie and says, “_Hope_ got this for you?”
> 
> Josie nods happily, and Lizzie crosses one arm and taps at her chin as she wanders away. “…Curious.”
> 
> Josie has no idea what that means.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am.....trying my best

Hope doesn’t know how it happened, but she somehow finds herself a willing participant in an old Disney movie marathon with Josie, Lizzie, and, most surprising of the bunch, Penelope. 

“Would you quit hogging the candy,” Penelope growls, and there’s a flash before the pack of candy in Lizzie’s hands suddenly appears in Penelope’s. 

“Hey!”

Hope stifles a grin and turns her attention back to the screen. They’ve finished Atlantis and are far enough into Lilo & Stitch that Hope has begun to get a little misty–eyed, but the bickering is only getting louder.

“At least give me more of the blanket, you insufferable – ”

“You already have more than half of it!”

Hope and Josie are sharing a blanket, which shouldn’t be a big deal except for two things: _Hope_ is sharing with _Josie_, and also them sharing means that Lizzie and Penelope had to be convinced to share the other. With each other. At the same time.

Hope is pretty sure that if she brings attention to the way they’re almost maybe halfway cuddled together, she would be struck dead on the spot, tribrid healing or not.

“Besides, I already told you, when you hog the candy, that means I get more blanket. That’s how it works!” 

Lizzie scoffs, kicking a socked foot at Penelope’s leg, and apparently that’s when Josie sits up and decides to intervene, albeit not in a way Hope would have predicted.

“Are you two going to play nice?” 

Lizzie glowers. “I mean I _would_, if she – ” 

Squirming a little more to get comfortable again, Josie’s eyes are shining mischievously as she siphons some magic from Hope where her shoulder is pressed against her. The space of contact glows red for a moment, and then she extracts her hand from under the blanket and whispers a spell under her breath that only Hope can hear. 

It’s a minor illusion spell, but still an impressively complex one to cast, and Hope grins as she looks over at Lizzie and Penelope watching them suspiciously.

“Okay, do I want to know – ” Penelope abruptly cuts herself off when she realizes that her voice is coming out sounding like Stitch’s. Lizzie laughs loudly, but then a horrified look spreads across her face as she hears her voice doing the same thing.

“Wha– oh, come on! Josie!” 

Josie bursts into laughter, and though Hope bites her lip to try and hold in her own amusement, it’s all in vain.

“Okay, okay! That’s enough!” Lizzie exclaims, still sounding absolutely hysterical, and Josie waves her hand in acquiescence, giggling but letting the spell fade.

“If you guys shut up, I’ll pass you the cherry sours.” 

That seems to pacify them, and they all settle back down. Hope notes that their positions have shifted with the laughter, both her and Josie now slumped in a manner that puts them closer together than before, and though Josie doesn’t seem to have noticed, it’s with bated breath that Hope cautiously leans her head to rest against Josie’s shoulder. There’s no reaction, and then she does her best not to stiffen when Josie shifts in response and her head slides so it’s tucked more comfortably into the crook of her neck.

“Do you think they’ll behave now?” Josie whispers into her hair, and Hope shivers involuntarily, prompting Josie to pull the blanket up higher over their shoulders.

“Uh…”

Suddenly desperate to focus on anything else, Hope blinks her eyes and wiggles her fingers towards the pack of candy in Penelope’s lap, lifting a handful of them into the air with a localized antigravity spell and forming what she thinks is a fairly good imitation of the dancing Elvis Stitch from the movie. 

Penelope yelps in surprise, and Hope is quick to hide her smile as she feels Josie’s body shaking with suppressed laughter. She somehow misses what happens next, but when Lizzie shrieks and throws a pillow across the room, they both burst into laughter and everything is good.

Josie sighs and continues drumming her fingers against her stomach, craning her neck to check the time without moving from her position sprawled sideways across her bed. Lizzie is sound asleep across the room, breathing even, but Josie feels weirdly restless in her room, a faint sense of discomfort and unease seeming to surround her.

It’s been well over two hours of this, and though Josie’s tired, she decides to sneak down to the kitchen for a midnight snack. Even if it doesn’t help, at least then she’ll have food.

Standing from her bed and stepping into her shoes, she slips out of her room and creeps stealthily through the halls of the school. It’s easy to make her way to the kitchen, and after rummaging around the pantry as quietly as she can, she comes up with a pack of soft–baked oatmeal cookies and grins as she turns to leave. 

“What do you got there, Jojo?”

Josie jumps, free hand flying to the wall while her other clutches the cookies to her chest. Instinct is telling her to find something to siphon even as she’s already begun to pull from the source within her, and she whirls around in alarm.

Penelope quirks an eyebrow at her, standing there holding a glass of water and wearing a softer version of her standard smirk, and Josie sighs in relief when she sees her. “Oh, hey! Sorry, you scared me.”

Her hair is messier than she’d usually let it be, looser in the dark of the night, and Josie smiles at her.

“Do you want a cookie?” she asks, extending the pack forward, and Penelope studies it for a moment before shrugging and reaching out to take one. 

“Thanks,” she says, smile morphing into something more genuine before turning tentative. “Hey, uh, by the way, how are you doing? I’ve been meaning to ask. You okay with all the soulmate stuff going on?” 

Her words are quiet due to more than just the silence around them, subdued and apologetic in a way that she doesn’t really let anyone except Josie see, and Josie is suddenly hit with an immense sense of gratitude. 

“Yeah, actually,” she smiles, instinctively glancing down at her foot where her soulmark is hiding. “It’s not so bad when it’s, you know, you guys and not the rest of the school all over it.” 

“Good,” Penelope smiles, ducking her head slightly before meeting her eyes again, “That’s good.” 

Josie doesn’t quite know what to make of the look in her eyes, but Penelope blinks it away so quickly she isn’t sure if she imagined it.

“Well, ’night Jojo,” Penelope murmurs, giving her half a nod as she takes a bite of her cookie and turns away.

“Goodnight, Penelope,” Josie watches her leave, and then she turns with the full intention of going back to her room. She moves down the hallway, but makes a split second decision to change her path just before she gets to the staircase. 

Something urges her towards the door that leads to one of the side courtyards, and she munches on a cookie as she goes, taking care to step quietly around the creaky spots on the floor. She only knocks into one piece of furniture on the way there, so she counts it as an overall success.

Drawing up to the door, she reaches out to push it open but then hesitates with her hand held in the air, taking a moment to wonder again why she’s here. She ponders it, and then she shakes her head and dismisses the train of thought, opening the door and stepping outside. 

It’s an exceptionally clear night out, barely any clouds in sight, and the air is the perfect balance of crisp and warm. Josie takes a deep breath, wondering if she’d just needed some fresh air to settle her mind, and then her gaze is drawn to the lone figure sitting on the wide stone ledge on one side of the steps, their back resting against the sectioning supporting the ledge above it. 

It’s too dark for Josie to see properly, but something small and increasingly familiar flares in her chest and she knows exactly who it is. 

Hope. 

A smile stretches across her face as she makes her way over, beckoned forward by some unseen force, and she sees Hope tilt her head to the side before turning to face her.

“Josie, hey,” she says, quiet and warm as she looks up at her. She’s sitting half in shadow, the only light coming from the lamps staggered around the edges of the courtyard, and Josie feels ridiculous standing there in pyjamas and holding a pack of cookies.

“Hey,” Josie responds, suddenly shy, “Uh, I saw you sitting out here and… thought I’d come say hi?”

Hope smiles and shuffles to the side, drawing up her legs and patting at the new space next to her in silent invitation, and Josie brushes the crumbs off her hand and levers herself up to sit. It really is a beautiful night, and the agitation in her chest that she couldn’t find a name for has eased substantially. 

She doesn’t know how long they stay there without speaking, but it’s far from silent around them. Trees are rustling in the breeze, cicadas are singing, and the school is humming with magic behind her. The stone under them is cold, Hope is warm, and it’s so comfortable that Josie wouldn’t mind resting here for hours. 

They watch the stars together, and when Hope does finally speak, her voice is so soft that it only adds to the musicality of the night.

“I’ll bring a blanket or something next time, and we can do this for real. If you want.” Hope nods to herself as she speaks, glancing sideways at Josie before quickly returning her gaze to the sky. “There’s a perfect spot to watch the stars near the Old Mill.” 

“Yeah?”

Hope smiles and nods again, fiddling with the cuff of her sleeve before curling her hands into loose fists and resting them against her knees. “I used to go there all the time.” 

A gentle breeze blows past them, and Josie shakes a loose lock of hair out of her face. Hope is biting her lip, absently running a finger over the material of her jeans with her eyes cast upward, and Josie smiles. 

“I’d like that,” she tells her softly, looping her arm through Hope’s and letting her head fall to the side so it can rest on her shoulder. Hope shifts minutely to accommodate her, and when Josie feels her press a smile into her hair, a small burst of happiness thrums fiercely in her chest.

“Me too.”


End file.
